Peace activists urge UK’s Blair to stand trial

Anti-war activists have demanded UK ex-premier Tony Blair to be called back to the Chilcot inquiry into the war on Iraq, after revelations that he blocked the government’s most senior lawyer from explaining to Cabinet the legality of the war in Iraq.

According to the newly published fourth book of diaries of Alastair Campbell, Blair’s former press secretary, Tony Blair barred then-attorney general Lord Goldsmith from giving his ministers “nuanced” advice against the illegal invasion of Iraq while Goldsmith wanted to “put the reality” of the situation to the Cabinet.

Insisting that the world would “never, never, never” forgive Blair, no matter what the inquiry decides, Stop the War Coalition’s Lindsey German said, “I think that this is yet another piece of evidence that Blair set out to mislead not just the British public but his own Cabinet.”

She also added that the fact that new details about the run-up to the illegal Iraq war came from “partner-in-crime” Campbell, made it more damning.

However, today on June 24, speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, former British Prime minister denied allegations that he blocked Lord Goldsmith from giving the Cabinet the legal case against the Iraq war, saying, “It’s not true and what’s more we went through this at the Chilcot Inquiry.”

Meanwhile, British MPs demanded an emergency recall of the Chilcot inquiry last night on June 23, saying evidence in Alastair Campbell’s diaries means Sir John Chilcot should resume his inquiry into the run-up to the illegal invasion of Iraq.

“The diaries prove that once a decision to go to war against Iraq had been taken, intelligence and legal advice was manipulated to support that decision,” said former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

In 2003, the US and Britain invaded Iraq in blatant violation of international law and under the pretext of finding weapons of mass destruction allegedly stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.